Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

BURNABY, B.C. – Neither a fast start or a fantastic finish got the Crusaders a win Thursday night in Canada.

Gatalina Schuster hit a two-run home run to spark the Crusader offense, which built a 6-1 lead against host Simon Fraser before the Clan rallied to score a 13-6 win in the opener of a Great Northwest Athletic Conference softball doubleheader Thursday night.

Kendra Day's two-run single in the top of the seventh later in the evening tied the nightcap for NNU (6-28, 1-13 GNAC), which saw the host Clan score the walk-off, 6-5 win in the bottom of the seventh to sweep the twinbill.

"We played 12 great innings of softball, but the two innings we let get away cost us any chance of winning today," NNU head softball coach Rich Wagner said. "We need to keep hitting and come back Saturday prepared to focus for a full 14 innings." 

Schuster's home in the opener put NNU on top 2-1, then Lisa Sylvester, Kiahna Brown and Alyssa Nitschelm each drove in a run for a 6-1 advantage in the third.

Simon Fraser (15-17, 4-6) answered the Crusaders early offensive surge with an 11-run rally in the fifth to pull away for the victory.

Schuster finished with a pair of hits to lead NNU's offense in the opener.

In the nightcap, a bases loaded walk to Ashley Pesek tied the score 1-1 in the third, then Nitschelm stole home on a double steal, giving NNU a 2-1 edge in the fourth.

Whitney Carlton then snapped a 2-2 tie with a lead-off solo homer in the top of the fifth, giving the Crusaders back their one-run lead with two-plus innings left to play.

Simon Fraser answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth and added a run in the sixth for a 5-3 edge heading to the seventh.

NNU battled down to its final out, and with two on and two out Kendra Day came through with a game-tying, two-run single.

But the determined comeback was spoiled in the bottom of the seventh as the Clan scored the game winner on a bases loaded single.

Carlton went 3-for-4 in the nightcap while Nitschelm and Day each added a pair of hits for the Crusaders, who battle the Clan in another doubleheader at noon (MT) on Saturday at Simon Fraser.